World Hearing Day is March 3rd, so it’s a good time to think about your ear health. I interviewed Jennifer Purpura from Miracle Ear, who offered insight into how heart disease is a cause of hearing loss and what you can do to prevent it.
Watch our video interview
As we all know, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for men and women in the U.S. Symptoms may include dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, and heart rhythm abnormalities that include fluttering, racing, or pounding.
However, a less-discussed symptom is hearing loss. The reasons this is a concern are many.
- Heart disease is thought to cause hearing loss due to compromised blood flow to the cochlea.
- The ear is supplied by several small arteries and requires a sufficient and rich blood flow to maintain proper function.
- It is believed that cardiovascular disease can reduce blood flow to the ear and in turn cause damage to different parts of the auditory system.
- This damage typically results in sensorineural (inner ear) hearing loss which is permanent and often managed with amplification.
Ways you can avoid heart disease
You may want to read my blog post about How to Prevent a Heart Attack When You’re Over 50.
The most obvious precautions are to reduce stress, eat healthy real food that is not processed or does not contain artificial ingredients, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and not smoke.
Get your ears checked whether you think you need to or not
Jennifer emphasizes that it’s important to get a hearing test to establish a baseline for your ear health. Often we do not realize we are experiencing hearing loss but other people, especially family members often do. Check to see how often you ask, “What did you say?” or “Could you repeat that?” It might be that your case is mild but you may need a hearing aid.
Your general practitioner is not the right doctor to rely on when it comes to your hearing health. Typically, they check your ears for ear wax, ear rocks, or infection but usually do not go beyond that unless your hearing loss is severe.
Unfortunately, Medicare supplements don’t always cover hearing checkups but may offer a discount. Make sure you have a Medicare Advantage policy that includes hearing or another type of hearing insurance.
The dangers of hearing loss
A loss of hearing can affect a person’s self-esteem and confidence because it limits their ability to communicate. This can cause undo depression or anxiety. Not being able to hear can also cause an accident if a person cannot hear what is going on around them.
The most common cause of hearing impairment
Loud noise is a key cause of hearing loss. We live in a noisy world that includes leaf blowers, loud music, traffic, and other irritating sounds.
Many people spend all day wearing earbuds or headsets turned up too loud while they are working.
Always use ear protection if you are around loud noises.
Health conditions can cause hearing loss such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, brain injury, chemo treatments, and ear infections. Older adults with hearing issues are also at higher risk of developing dementia.
Note: I am not affiliated with Miracle Ear but appreciate the information that Jennifer provided.
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